ASEAN leaders at the retreat (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh andleaders of ASEAN member states attended a retreat on global and regional issueson September 5, as part of the ongoing 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta,Indonesia.
Speaking at the event, PM Chinh said amidintense competition among major nations, in order to maintain ASEAN’s central role, the only answer is to harness theinherent strength, strengthen internal unity to assert strategic value.
ASEAN countries must uphold the spirit ofindependence, self-reliance, self-resilience and respect for the rule of law, and stay steadfast to their fundamental principles and norms of conduct, he said.
At the centre of competition, ASEANneeds to maintain a strategic balance with major countries. It must trulybecome a reliable bridge with the capacity to regulate and balance relationshipsand interests, while steadfastly pursuing the goal of building an open,transparent and inclusive regional structure. Most importantly, the bloc mustmaintain its principled stance on issues directly related to regional securityand development, he added.
On global and regional issues, the VietnamesePM stressed that ASEAN needs to make efforts to enhance unity, maintain and consolidateits common stance on the East Sea. It is both the shared interest and responsibility of all member countries, he asserted.
According to him, ASEAN should urge itspartners to respect this stance when operating in the East Sea, especiallyprinciples such as self-restraint, peaceful settlement of disputes, respect forinternational law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS). Additionally, the group should persevere with the full and effectiveimplementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea(DOC) and strive to build a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the EastSea (COC) in line with international law and the UNCLOS 1982.
On the Myanmar situation, he expressedsupport for further proactive engagement to encourage peaceful dialogue, buildtrust, increase mutual understanding and work towards a comprehensive andsustainable solution for the Myanmar issue. He also supported Indonesia as theChair of ASEAN and the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar in leading thebloc's efforts based on the 5-point consensus of regional leaders.
PM Pham Minh Chinh at the event (Photo: VNA) He affirmed that Vietnam will work closely withLaos, the Chair of ASEAN in 2024, to continue stepping up ASEAN's cooperationgoals.
The Vietnamese PM, along with ASEAN leaders, alsoagreed to assist the Philippines in assuming the role of ASEAN Chair in 2026.
As scheduled on September 6 morning, PM Chinhand ASEAN leaders will attend the ASEAN 1 Summits with China, the Republic ofKorea and Japan./.
